BOZEMAN — Grant Collins’ season is over. But Montana State already has one solid defensive performance without one of its leaders to build on.
The Montana State junior defensive end/linebacker has moved all around this season for the Bobcats. The Bozeman product started the season at Buck end, his newfound size and strength apparent from the outset after his first injury-free off-season since high school.
When starting Mike linebacker Josh Hill went down against South Dakota State, Collins moved to the spot in the middle, a position he roamed as a true freshman before MSU head coach Jeff Choate and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Ty Gregorak arrived in Bozeman. Collins has been a standout no matter if he played on the edge or in the middle, notching 34 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
Montana State junior Grant Collins closes in on Portland State quarterback Josh Kraght earlier this season/ by Brooks Nuanez
But he suffered an injury on a 4th down and four yards to go late in MSU’s eventual 31-19 loss at Eastern Washington. He was ruled out for MSU’s game at Northern Colorado, yet the Bobcat defense put forth a resolute performance in the second half as MSU rallied for a 27-24 last-second victory.
On Monday, Choate announced that Collins’ shoulder injury would require surgery and end his season.
“Grant is a guy who has had a very productive year for us being able to fill in at Mike linebacker and filling in on the edge at Buck and flip back and forth because of his experience and his ability level,” Choate said.
“But the thing we are going to miss the most is there is nobody on our roster that practices harder than Grant. He’s a great effort player. He’s a guy who young guys can look to as to how to do this. He has a great passion for the game and he only knows one speed. The intangible leadership he brings through his actions and how he plays is something I think we are going to miss as much as his production.”
In the off-season, the 6-foot-4 Collins put on 25 pounds to get up to 245 pounds. Although his sack numbers were not gaudy, he consistently hit quarterbacks regardless of if he was rushing off the edge or blitzing up the middle.
“It’s a big loss because he’s one of the longer guys on our defense and he’s a guy who I know will go out and play extremely hard every time he steps on the field,” Gregorak said. “Grant has been around here for awhile. He’s an old dog so to speak. Any time you lose a veteran like him, a guy who can do multiple things for you, it’s a big loss.”
Montana State sophomore safety JoJo Henderson/ by Brooks Nuanez
Without Collins and a few other key contributors in the lineup — sophomore safety JoJo Henderson remains out with a knee injury and freshman corner Tyrel Thomas is week to week with a hand injury— Montana State’s defense put forth its best half of football in rallying from a 21-7 deficit at Northern Colorado. MSU allowed just 42 yards of offense and four first downs after halftime.
Even in the first half, with the exception of an 80-yard touchdown pass from Conor Regan to Frank Stephens and a 12-yard TD toss from Regan to Theron Verna one play after Chris Murray’s first interception to closet, the Bobcats played well defensively. MSU allowed seven first downs and 217 yards total.
But the response after intermission to pace Montana State’s first 14-point second-half comeback since 2003 is what impressed Gregorak.
“They hit some big plays, that one in particular in the first half that kind of had us reeling for a series,” Gregorak said. “But I think the second half of ball — we gave up 42 yards in Grand Forks — and I would still say the second half was the best half of football we played. I thought we came out with the right mindset, we were dialed in, we tackled well and we did a good job of third down. It was a good last 30 minutes of football.”
MSU’s stout defensive effort also allowed Montana State’s offense to find its footing. Against a Bears’ defense that did not pass rush but instead stood pat at the line of scrimmage in an effort to contain MSU’s mobile quarterback, Murray and the Bobcats managed to gouge UNC for 297 yards rushing, 28 total first downs and 519 yards of total offense while running 95 plays.
“Our guys came out with some conviction,” Choate said. “Our defense swelled up. They didn’t stop us one lick after halftime. Chris was able to operate and move the ball down the field with his arm. We were going to have to do that some. They were not going to let him get out of the pocket. When we dropped back, they didn’t care if they put a finger on him. They were just going to try to see if he’d throw it away or throw it to them.”
Montana State sophomore defensive end Derek Marks
Montana State’s second-half defensive showing helped set up Murray and the offense for the first two-minute drill of the Choate era. After a sailed throw in the end-zone and a botched snap on a potential go-ahead field goal, the Bobcats took over deep in their own territory with 2:23 left.
Murray executed a long drive to inside the UNC 10 thanks to two clutch third down throws from MSU’s sophomore quarterback, one to Kevin Kassis, the other to Mitch Herbert. Those conversions, plus a 12-yard scramble and subsequent centering run by Murray set up Gabe Peppenger’s 27-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
“That last drive, even doing that on air can be challenging,” Choate said. “Everything has to go just right. Jabarri (Johnson) going down and making a catch, Kassis going up and making a catch, Chris giving us that extra 12 yards on the scramble, using the clock very well, kicking the field goal with no time left and be able to get out of there with a W…that was a very, very positive thing.”
The Bobcat defense already has plenty of reps without Collins manning the edge. Junior Tyrone Fa’anono (23 tackles, three TFL, one sack) and sophomore Derek Marks (6 TFL, 4 sacks) have traded off manning the Buck end with redshirt freshman Michael Jobman playing spot snaps when Collins played Mike.
With Collins completely out, Choate said MSU will shuffle a linebacker group that includes senior Mac Bignell plus sophomores Josh Hill and Brayden Konkol to find more playing time for redshirt freshman Balue Chapman, like Collins a Bozeman native who has battled a shoulder injury all season. Choate said Troy Andersen, a freshman from Dillon who has rushed for 293 yards and a pair of touchdowns this season, will continue going both ways, taking most of his practice reps during the week with the linebackers.
Montana State redshirt freshman linebacker Balue Chapman
“Linebacker has been an issue since the beginning of the season in terms of depth,” Choate said. “You may see (true freshman) Chad Kanow play more than just special teams. Those are things we have to be prepared to do.”
MSU’s next challenge comes in the form of an Idaho State team fresh off its most explosive offensive showing in a generation. ISU scored 59 points in a 29-point win over Portland State last week, the most by a Bengals’ team since 1980.
Leading into the Northern Colorado road trip — MSU’s first trip to Greeley since 2013 — Gregorak said he knew Montana State could play with any team in the Big Sky. The veteran coach wanted the Bobcats to prove they could beat anyone in the league. With the stout defensive performance after halftime, the Bobcats took the first step toward achieving just that.
“We have proven we are scrappers and we can fight but we haven’t proven we can finish games,” Gregorak said. “We did a good job of finishing the third quarter, finishing the second half, finishing the game for the first time. I was proud of our mindset.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
